


wild card

by cardist



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Cards, Drabble, M/M, Royalty, playing cards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:47:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28580739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cardist/pseuds/cardist
Summary: There are always two fools in a deck of cards.
Relationships: Arthur/Eames (Inception)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14
Collections: ImPROMPTu Drabblery





	wild card

**Author's Note:**

  * For [IAmANonnieMouse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/IAmANonnieMouse/gifts).



> Prompt: Dancing  
> Genre: Mousie's Card AU  
> Wordcount: Around 250 ?
> 
> Thank you to Q for the beta.

The Jack of Spades is gone.

The news travels like the plague across the kingdom. No one knows how or why he’s disappeared, but the pips whisper, and the King is reticent. A ceremony is held at Merlin’s Stonehenge at sunset, followed by a ball - a formality - to welcome the new Jack.

The King doesn’t wear his crown tonight. He fiddles with the shiv in his pocket, nervous. His Eldredge knot feels too tight.

“My King,” someone calls.

The King turns. It’s the Fool.

“Dance with me,” the King says, and so they do. He lets the Fool lead.

“Your palms are sweaty,” the Fool remarks.

“Impertinent,” the King mumbles.

“What’s in your pocket?” 

The King frowns. “It's unwise to ask, my Fool. Besides, my eyes are up here.”

The Fool smiles, leaning in to whisper, “you worry too much—”

The King snaps, “you’ve no idea what’s going on behind these walls.” 

“And you’ve a card up your sleeve?” 

The King nods. 

“You’ll be played sooner or later,” the Fool says. “I have a better idea.”

The King stops in his steps. They stand in the middle of the floor, gazing at each other.

“We are not eloping,” the King says.

The Fool smiles. “No. Course not. Only shuffling things up.” 

The King sighs. “And how do we go about doing that?”

The Fool starts waltzing the King again. “First, we’ve got to come up with a name for you.”

“A name?”

“You can’t wear someone else's suit without one. You’ll forget who you are.” 

“A name…” the King contemplates.

“My name’s Eames.”

The King looks up at Eames. It’s like seeing him for the first time. “I’m not sure…”

“You’ll love it.”

“The name?”

“The freedom.”

The King smiles briefly. “So, a name…”

“I’m sure we can think of one on our way out to the garden.”

“What’s in the garden?”

“My makeup team.”

The King looks down. “I’ve always liked Arthur.”

“A pleasure to meet you, then, King Arthur,” Eames says. He kisses the back of Arthur’s hand.

Arthur takes a deep breath. “Do we leave now?”

Eames nods.

They disappear through the gaps, into moonlight and shadows.

No one notices.


End file.
